Sermon Preview – Week of December 11

The preaching text for this coming Lord’s Day will be John 8:31-59. The opposition to Jesus, which has been building since chapter five, reaches a peak at the end of chapter eight. In the providence of God, Jesus takes a couple of opportunities in the temple, at the end of the Feast of Booths, to declare that he is living water and the light of the world. Not only has he declared himself to be these things, but he has invited those set against him to receive him as such and find eternal satisfaction and life in him. At the end of his “light of the world” declaration and invitation (8:12-30), John tells us that “many believed in him”. What are we to make of this belief? Is it like the belief that we’ve seen before (2:23-25), a belief that merely wants the power of Jesus but not the person of Jesus? Or, is this genuine belief? Well, Jesus is going to provide the framework, by which, a person can test whether or not discipleship is genuine or counterfeit. As we will see in the text, true and lasting freedom is found in faith in Jesus Christ. Isn’t it interesting that the only kind of freedom we are promised in the Bible is spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ? What a wonderful promise! May the Lord guide us into the truth of His Word, that we may behold His glory and walk in His will, for His glory and our good!